League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	San Francisco County, CA November 3, 2015 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Member, Community College Board; City of San Francisco

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of San Francisco and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Issues, Issues, Issues Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What do you see as the biggest issue facing community colleges? What would you do to handle it? Answer from Wendy Aragon: It's been recently validated that our accreditation process is in dire need of reform. When the ACCJC pushes the model of for-profit colleges or that the primary focus of a community college should be pipe-lining students into four year schools, the community loses, especially life-long learners, immigrants, and low-income people who rely on a community college education to meet their needs. For many individuals, community colleges provide an accessible and affordable education that helps to put them on the right path towards a better life. I want to ensure that City College is part of the solution when addressing state reforms that create barriers for those who are already struggling academically, such as the Student Success Act. Instead we should be creating a framework around racial equity, as well as social, restorative, and economic justice. We need a system that uplifts individuals out of poverty, not one that punishes them for their socioeconomic circumstances. Answer from Alex Randolph: As a Trustee, I work hard to give our administrators, faculty, staff, and students the tools and resources to improve City College in preparation for the final accreditation commissions visit. However, City College can't solve this accreditation crisis by itself. I am building stronger relationships with the non-profit and business community to continue City College's history of strong partnerships throughout the City. The City College community has done an incredible job already addressing some of the concerns and also pushing back where the commission's accreditation report went too far. City College's accreditation troubles and funding cuts have created budget challenges. Strengthening our funding sources and building partnerships with city agencies, businesses, and nonprofit groups, are my top priorities. From better managing voter-approved bonds for projects and improvements to creating a sustainable financial plan, I will continue to ensure that CCSF remains a resource for students of all backgrounds. Answer from Tom Temprano: The biggest challenge City College faces right now is our enrollment crisis. In the wake of the accreditation crisis we've lost 27% of our students. Getting students re-enrolled and back on campus is critical to saving City College, and I believe it is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees to tackle the enrollment crisis head-on. As Trustee, I look forward to working with my fellow Board members, faculty, and students to draft and implement a community outreach campaign to get students back on campus. 2. What would you do to address the decrease in the number of students at City College over the past few years? Answer from Tom Temprano: To tackle our enrollment crisis we need to rebuild the broken relationship between SFUSD and City College. Every year, 1,000 students graduate from SFUSD schools every year and don't go on to a 4 year or community college. Many of these students are from communities of color, and City College shouldn't be allowing them to slip through the cracks. As Trustee I will work to ensure we create a strong presence on SFUSD high school campuses, enrolling students before they graduate and creating an enrollment bridge for students. Another critical part of the effort to increase enrollment will be to reach out across our communities to get students back on campus. As Trustee, I would be excited to use my background in marketing and communications to create a grassroots community outreach campaign to undo the damage the accreditation crisis has done to enrollment at City College. Answer from Wendy Aragon: Enrollment is the lifeblood of the college but right now many of our departments and programs are hemorrhaging. I believe that there is a place for all students: ESL, transfer, workforce training, professional development, GED students/high school completion, and everyday San Franciscans, such as seniors, who looking to enrich their lives and maintain a social connection with others. I also want to ensure that we are effectively using our community campuses by prioritizing them in a way that best accommodates all that City College has to offer instead of letting buildings sit empty. I also want to strengthen our capacity to sustain employment partners and create a clear pathway to jobs through fortifying our workforce development programs. This includes our nursing, fire science, culinary, fashion, construction management and trades programs. I also want to develop and strengthen new employment pathways such as taxi driver training, creating a home for apprenticeship programs for building and construction trades, training for our public maintenance employees, and Tech SF. Businesses have to invest in being good neighbors and make measurable attempts to develop win-win solutions for the both the business community and students. Answer from Alex Randolph: Serving on CCSF's Marketing and Enrollment Committee, I fight everyday to increase enrollment by expanding City College's visibility throughout San Francisco. The current City College enrollment rate by SFUSD graduates has declined from 26% to 16% over the past two years whereas no enrollment in any higher education pathway has increased from 15% to 25%. Black and hispanic student enrollment has declined tremendously. As a young African-American public official I have the unique ability to connect with these students on a direct personal level and show them through the lens of my own educational path that City College is a critical pathway to a better life. It is hard to have a dream of a better life if you don't know that this future even exists. I am proud of the incredible diversity of students at City College that reflect many ages, race, and ethnic backgrounds. We can continue building that by increasing City College outreach for underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM.) It is important that we strengthen our partnership with the School District and conduct this outreach to schools well in advance of students' graduation. As the cost of housing and living in the Bay Area is increasing, it becomes even more important to provide affordable access to education and economic opportunity in high demand career fields like healthcare and technology. For example, within the next five years, there will be over 1 million unfilled jobs for students with a computer science degree, one of the highest paying career fields. I am excited that the SF Unified School District has started to make computer science classes a fundamental part of the curriculum, and City College should partner on providing better pathways to tech jobs, especially for the Latino community and other underrepresented minority groups. I also support programs like CityBuild that provide skills training for union jobs to promote the participation of disadvantaged San Francisco residents in apprenticeship positions, and pathways into union apprenticeship programs. As a result of the project, eight journey-level jobs and two apprentice jobs were created; of whom six were local SF residents. More programs like this will ensure City College is able to provide relevant courses that attract students and provides more access and opportunity to education. To do so we need to bring the relevant organizations, community partners, and employers on the table to provide insight into the program design. These types of partnerships will be the solution to maintaining empowering students to not only pursue a rewarding career, but do it here in San Francisco. 3. What are your qualifications for office? Answer from Tom Temprano: I have served on the Board of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club for the past five years, serving two terms as President from 2013 to 2014. During my time on the board, I was proud to lead our organization as we joined the fight to save City College. We were one of the first organizations to sound the alarm within the LGBTQ community and it has been a privilege to be fighting for this college from the beginning. For the past eight years I have done grassroots marketing for small businesses, non-profits and government agencies. I worked for San Francisco Small Business Week, which attracts thousands of attendees each year; The Treasurers Office, where I helped launch marketing efforts to get low-income San Franciscans enrolled in financial literacy programs; and Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, a small business assistance non-profit that provides training to low-income women to help them open and run successful small businesses. I am also the owner of my own small business, Virgil's Sea Room, located in Bernal Heights. I have served on the SoMa Stabilization Fund Community Advisory Committee for four years, serving as co-chair for the past two. I've had the honor of working with a team of experts in a variety of fields to allocate millions of dollars in funding to organizations responsible for mitigating the negative impacts of development on low-income SoMa community members. During my time on the CAC we have invested over $5 million into the SoMa community funding affordable housing, workforce development and more. Answer from Alex Randolph: City College is at a critical juncture. As the newest member of your Board of Trustees, I am working tirelessly for our students to fix our biggest challenges. From working with Mayor Gavin Newsom to my appointment in President Barack Obama's administration, it has been my duty to make government work better for people. Now, I'm proud to continue that mission serving students looking for a path to a better life through City College. The Community College Board's recently restored powers are proof that we're improving. But we have more work to do. My priorities for City College are to: 1. Ensure City College stays accredited by building strong city partnerships, 2. Increase enrollment by conducting grassroots outreach to our communities, and 3. Strengthen funding by creating a sustainable financial plan. City College's decreasing enrollment is especially pronounced among communities of color. As a young African-American product of community college, my own educational journey is a powerful example for struggling students on what City College can do for them. Please vote for me to continue this fight for our San Francisco students as your Community College Board Trustee. Answer from Wendy Aragon: City College deserves an independent voice, fighting for the quality education that will serve our students and community best: Full accreditation; Providing a solid basis for transfer students; Affordable quality education for all; Workforce training; Transparency in governance and fiscal responsibility; Reducing the opportunity gap in low income communities; Lifelong learning. I will be that voice. As a product of California community colleges, I owe my academic success to student support programs; which inspired me to become a student leader, working within a college infrastructure and lobbying at the state level on behalf of student needs. I have spent the last three and a half years actively working with the Save City College Coalition. This, along with my experience in project management, and service as Chair of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Citizens Advisory Committee, give me the professional skills and policy experience needed on the Board of Trustees. I would be honored to be your choice for City College this November 3rd. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. The answer to each question should be limited to 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.